


The Diary of Izanami Matsushita

by JinxTheMisfortunate



Category: Lupin III, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Bisexual Mine Fujiko, Explicit Language, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Grumpy Jigen Daisuke, I'm Bad At Tagging, Marijuana, Memory Loss, OC is a nurse, OoC at times, Original Character(s), Self-Indulgent, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine universe, Violence, it is mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-23
Updated: 2021-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-28 05:34:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30134748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinxTheMisfortunate/pseuds/JinxTheMisfortunate
Summary: The Lupin gang’s medic, Izanami “Izzy” Matsushita, is a kind, patient, angel of a woman. She tends to her friends' wounds without a second thought, is a shoulder to cry on, patiently listens to their rants, all while raising her niece. Unknowingly to the gang, Izzy is running from karma, figuratively and literally. Izzy comes back to the hideout, bruised, beaten, and with no memories. In an effort to try and restore Izzy's memories and rescue Izanami's niece, Sayuri, the gang finds Izanami's diary. This story is based on the Takeshi Koike Lupin Trilogy and The Woman Called Fujiko Mine.
Relationships: Ishikawa Goemon XIII & Jigen Daisuke & Arsène Lupin III & Mine Fujiko, Jigen Daisuke/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Trauma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to the first chapter of The Diary of Izanami Matsushita. This story takes place in the same universe as The Woman Called Fujiko Mine and the other spinoff films. In this chapter, we meet the characters and our main conflict is introduced.

Between two heavy black drapes, a stream of golden sunshine shone inside a dark room. The yellow light shone onto the tightly shut eyes of a young woman. She found herself turning on her side, silently noting the empty space beside her. Must’ve left again. She smiled grimly. Would it kill him to stay the whole night with me once? Izanami sat up and reached into her drawer, pulling out a wheel of pills. Looks like I have to take this now. She swallowed the pills with a gulp of water and stood stretching.  
“Another day, another million.” She murmured her leader’s mantra sarcastically as she picked her clothes out from the dresser. She pulled them on and started braiding her hair. Wonder how long it’ll be until they get sick of me? She finished braiding one of her blonde locks. How long until they find someone better? She braided the other side of her hair. Braided pigtails rested on her shoulders. How long until... Someone knocked at the door.  
“I’m coming!” Izanami exclaimed, walking over to her door. She opened the door, a tall black-haired man stood behind it. “M-Morning Jigen.”  
Jigen nodded in response. “Hey, Izzy.” He said. “Left my smokes in here. Mind grabbing’ them for me?”  
Izanami nodded and went to her bedside table. “Here.” She held her hand out to him.  
He grabbed them, his hand grazing her ever so lightly. Upon realizing this, his cheeks flushed.  
Izanami’s cheeks shone red as she quickly retracted her hand. “S-Sorry.” She murmured.  
“No, no it’s fine…” He murmured.  
“See you at breakfast?” She asked, awkwardly.  
“Yeah. See ya.” He turned and walked back down the hall.  
Izanami watched him around the corner before ducking back into her room. I’m hopeless. She thought, slumping against the wall. Absolutely hopeless.

The smell of freshly cooked bacon wafted through the air. The smell was heavenly, enticing, drawing anyone who smelled it right into the kitchen.  
“Morning, Izzy-bear.” A chipper voice chirped to her.  
“Morning, Lupin.” Izanami responded as she entered. “What’s for breakfast?”  
“Crepes and bacon.” The man responded. “My grandma taught me how to make them. Never have been able to get ‘em right.”  
“Today might be your lucky day, man.” She shrugged and smiled.  
Izzy was thankful that one of her teammates had gotten up and cooked. She liked cooking and all, but she normally cooked breakfast. Having someone else cook was nice. Izanami pulled up a chair beside Jigen, who pulled a flask out of his inner jacket pocket.  
“Making an Irish coffee again, Jigen?” She asked with a small hint of playfulness.  
He looked at her from under the brim of his fedora. “I have a feelin’ it’s gonna be a long day, Izzy. Don't blame me for day drinking.” He said, filling the coffee cup full.  
After Izanami playfully rolled her eyes, she felt a small pair of arms wrap around her shoulders. “Good morning, girly.” The woman wrapped her arms around the girl beside her.  
“Morning Aunt Izanami...morning Jigen, morning Lupin…” She murmured before sitting down beside Izanami.  
She smiled. “Sayuri, you gonna brush your hair?”  
“Later…” She slumped over her brown hair an absolute mess.  
“Alright, if syrup gets into your hair, isn’t my fault.”  
Sayuri sat up slowly. “Yeah...better do that.” She murmured and wandered into the bathroom.  
“Morning Goemon!” Lupin said from the stove. A black-haired samurai had made his way into the kitchen. The man nodded in response, sitting across from Jigen.  
“Morning Goemon.” Izanami greeted. The samurai nodded once more and the group went back to silence.

Soon enough, breakfast was ready. Lupin and Sayuri joined the table. The group ate their pancakes and bacon, Sayuri and Lupin softly talking back and forth. Jigen drank deeply from his cup, only to fill it up again and repeat the cycle. Goemon attempted (and failed) to eat his breakfast with chopsticks. Izanami couldn’t help but sigh at her samurai friend’s attempt to keep his traditional ways up.  
A yawn echoed throughout the house as someone else entered the kitchen. “Woo! Good morning everyone.” A tall-slender woman sauntered into the room, wearing a button-up shirt and underwear that barely covered her body.  
“Ugh, would it kill you to dress decently?” Jigen griped at the woman.  
“Screw off, Jigen.” The woman crossed her slender legs and arms. “Would it kill you to drink after 12?” She looked beside her. “Morning, Izanami. How was your night?” She winked.  
Izzy’s face heated up slightly and Jigen peeked over at them from under the brim. “Oh, it was nice, Fujiko. I had a lovely sleep if I do say so myself.”  
Fujiko smirked. “That’s good. Can’t have our beloved nurse getting all worn out on us!”  
“When did you get here?” Goemon finally spoke up.  
“Last night. Lupin let me in.” She pointed to the man across from her. Lupin threw his hands up and braced himself for the wrath of his roommates.  
“Dammit, why am I not surprised?” Jigen groaned and Goemon shook his head. Izanami sighed, knowing this was going to spark another fight between the boys. Jigen, Fujiko, and Goemon butt heads a lot. With their contrasting personalities, Izanami wasn’t surprised. She, personally, enjoyed Fujiko’s company, but Goemon and Jigen couldn’t stand her cheating, lying, swindling ways.  
“Hey, let’s not get into this now...please.” Izzy said, trying to quickly diffuse the situation.  
“Izanami’s right everyone,” Lupin said, backing her up. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry.” He pulled a map out of his pocket and plopped it on the table. “There’s something out there that needs stealing.”  
The tension between the group diffused as Lupin went over their plan. The group was going on a heist, a real easy one at that. They were going to steal a precious Musgravite gem that was on display in a really small museum. The way Lupin explained it made it seem so straightforward.  
“Izzy,” Lupin said and turned to Izanami. “Since this heist is more low-key than our usual ones, you can stay here and wait for us with Sayuri.”  
Izanami’s eyes widened slightly. “Are you sure? If I need to come then I will.”  
Lupin shook his head. “Nope. Besides, we won’t be gone more than an hour.”  
“Alright...do me a favor and don’t get clipped by too many bullets.” The woman said with a smirk.  
“Well, you heard the lady.” Lupin stood up. “Let’s get this thing started, shall we?”

Easy operation my ass. Izanami thought as she sat on the couch. She had been waiting for the boys and Fujiko for four hours now. It was morning when they left now it was getting into the late afternoon. She had already arranged her supply accordingly so she could tend to her friend's wounds. If nothing else, she was a well-prepared nurse.  
An hour later, Lupin came stumbling in, carrying Jigen and Goemon on his shoulders.  
"Oh my God…" Izanami mumbled, running over to them. "What happened?"  
"Things got...a little hairy." Lupin answered, sitting Jigen on the couch and Goemon in a chair. "It was more heavily guarded than I thought and we kinda got overwhelmed."  
"You idiot. I knew I should have gone and backed you up!" Izanami handed Lupin a bottle of pills. "All of you get two. Sayuri!"  
"Yes-- Woah." The girl's eyes widened slightly.  
"Could you get me the antibiotics?" She asked and Sayuri nodded, running to the bathroom. A few minutes later, Sayuri returned. "Here ya go."  
"Thanks." She said, pricking a needle into the rubber part of the jar. She filled three syringes up. “This is gonna sting, but it’s your own fault for being so reckless.” Izanami stuck the syringe in Lupin’s arm and he winced slightly.  
“Damn.”  
“Well, can’t have you guys getting an infection from the lead they pumped into you.” Izanami shrugged, giving Goemon his shot.  
“Can’t argue with you there.” Lupin shrugged.  
Jigen caught her eyes as Izanami leaned down, sticking the needle in his arm to administer the drug. “Hmph.” The gunman laid back on the couch, waiting for the painkillers to kick in.  
“Where’s Fujiko?” Izanami asked, pulling on a pair of sterile gloves.  
“She skipped out on us, again,” Jigen grumbled.  
Izanami sighed as she took out a pair of tweezers. “Not surprised...anyways!” She smiled. “I think Lupin wants to get his bullets removed first.”  
Slowly but surely Izanami managed to pull all of the bullets out of her partners. It was a slow, argus, process but soon enough, the boys were good to go. As Izanami was packing away her medicine and other gear, she noticed something. She was out of ibuprofen.  
“Hey guys, I gotta go out and get some more medicine.” She grabbed her purse at the door.  
“Hold on, Izzy,” Lupin said, stopping the woman. “At least bring someone with you!”  
“I’ll go!” Sayuri volunteered.  
“Well, looks like that’s settled.” Izzy smiled. “I’ll be back later.” She said, leaving the house. 

A series of loud knocks whacked against the door. At first, the knocking fell on deaf ears. The inhabitants of the house were sleeping soundly. Again the knocks shook the door, causing it to rattle ever so slightly. This time, the knocking was enough to wake up Jigen, who had knocked out on the couch.  
Ugh. Who the hell is even out this early!? He thought as he stood up, walking over to the door. “What can I--...Izanami!?” Jigen’s eyes widened in disbelief. In front of him stood Izanami, her braided blonde hair partially messy with bruises covering her arms and legs. Slowly the blonde woman began falling forward. “Izanami!” He exclaimed, catching her in his arms. “Lupin! Goemon! Get up now!” Jigen yelled. The samurai and the thief woke with a start.  
“What’s the matter, Jige-- Izanami!” Lupin yelled. “Jigen, we better get her onto the couch.” Jigen nodded and they lifted the woman up onto the couch.  
Goemon walked over to the group. “What happened?”  
“We don’t know yet, man,” Jigen responded.  
Izanami’s eyes slowly began to open, adjusting to the world around them. She looked around from person to person, examining each of their faces.  
“Izzy! I’m glad to see you’re awake!” Lupin exclaimed, getting a look from Izanami.  
“W-Who are you?” She asked.  
“What do you mean, Izzy? It’s me! Lupin!” He gestured. “Ya know, monkey boy?”  
“I...don’t know anyone named Lupin.” She shook her head.  
“What!? Izzy! Of course, you know me!”  
“Lupin. She isn’t screwing around.” Jigen said, looking around.  
“How do you know?” Goemon asked.  
“Because Sayuri is missing.”  
The men exchanged troubled glances. On their couch, lay an amnesiac nurse with her child missing. Everyone’s minds began running, scrambling their thoughts in an attempt to find out what went wrong.


	2. Fuzzy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izanami has amnesia and the boys (reluctantly) go through her room. Lupin is also a little shit in this chapter and Jigen is a grump. Normal Lupin antics. 
> 
> Warning: Mention of Marijuana

“Here.” Goemon said softly. “It’s water.”  
“Thanks.” Izanami croaked out as she took the glass.  
“Hey Goemon!" Lupin called from the bathroom. "Do you know where Izanami keeps her medicine bag?"  
"In the closet, right?" Goemon started walking towards the bathroom, only to stumble upon a large bag with a red cross on it. He picked the thing up and walked to the bathroom. "Is this it?"  
Lupin turned and then nodded. "Yeah! Thanks for finding it!"  
The front door opened and Jigen walked in with a brown paper sack. He sat it on the coffee table before sitting in the chair beside the couch.  
"So." He broke the silence and turned to Izanami. "You can't remember anything?"  
"Well, I know my name is Izanami Matsushita." The woman said.  
"But you don't know who I am or where you are?"  
"No, I don't. I'm sorry."  
Jigen hummed. He couldn’t wrap his head around this. How could something like this have happened? Izzy and Sayuri went out to get supplies. Izzy, who's been gone for God knows how long, stumbles by in, all beat up and bruised up. His first instinct was to think she'd been mugged and Sayuri was kidnapped. If that's the case then why didn't they just kill her and end it? Unless--  
"There you are, Jigen!" Lupin said, walking in with the medical bag and Goemon in tow. "We found Izzy’s nurse bag so now let's get her all patched up."  
"I'll take care of it." Jigen volunteered. "You guys go out and look for anything suspicious."  
"Oh." Lupin blinked. "Yeah, we can go do that. Goemon, shall we?" The samurai nodded and the two men left.

Jigen held one of Izanami's arms, taking a cotton ball and lightly cleaning the wound. He noticed her cringe back at the peroxide and smirked. Don't be a baby! It's just peroxide. She'd said that so many times it was engraved into his brain.  
"Excuse me, uh..." Izanami said quietly.  
"Jigen. It's Daisuke Jigen."  
She nodded. "Jigen. Everyone here seems to know me but, I don't know any of you. Could you...please tell me who everyone is?"  
"Well." He started. "The guy in the green suit jacket is Lupin. He's kinda like our leader, and the other guy is Goemon."  
Izzy blinked. "I...kind of remember some people like that." She raised an eyebrow. "Are we all friends?"  
Jigen let out a small hum. "I guess you could call us that."  
"Are…" Her face seemed to heat up slightly. "Are you and I friends too?"  
Jigen’s eyes widened slightly, his face turning soft pink. "Yeah...we're pretty close." He shifted around a little. Yeah, we're close alright. Maybe it's a good thing she doesn't remember me.  
Izzy smiled. "I'm glad to hear."

Lupin and Goemon returned to the house, Lupin wearing a puzzled look on his face.  
"Hey, did you guys find anything?" Jigen asked.  
Lupin sighed. "I did."  
"So what is it?" Jigen asked again.  
Lupin pulled out a piece of paper. "A cryptic ass note that I can't make head or tail of." He pulled a cigarette and lit it.  
Jigen took the paper and read it. "Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. You stole from me, I stole from you. If you want what I stole back, give me something of equal value." He raised an eyebrow. "Is this some kind of ransom note!?"  
“Exactly…” Lupin’s face twisted into a grimace. “I figured out what happened.” He crushed out his cigarette. “Those bastards had something against Izanami, so they went after her kid.”  
“Well, that settles it, let’s go after the bastards and get Sayuri back!” Jigen stood.  
“Hold on, Jigen.” Goemon put his hand up. “We don’t even know where she is and besides,” He gestured to Izanami who was listening to them intently.  
“Hmph. You’re right.” Jigen sat back down and then looked at the woman. “You said you kind of remember some of us, right?”  
“Yeah.” Izzy rubbed her head like it was hurting. “But it’s all fuzzy, like when you’re out in the heavy snow and your vision is blurry.”  
“I know what you mean.” Lupin said. “You can remember a little, but not a lot.”  
“Izanami, can you remember anything about last night?” Goemon asked.  
Izzy’s eyebrows furrowed. “Well...I remember suits. People dressed in suits.”  
“Were they the ones who pushed you into the alley?” Lupin asked.  
Izanami nodded. She could see the outline of a tall man, wearing a black suit with a hat. He stood above her and then the memory got fuzzy again. She cringed back in pain.  
“You ok?” Jigen asked.  
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She shook her head. “My head hurts a little…”  
“You probably fell and hit your head...just lay back down.” Jigen said and Izanami nodded, laying back down on the couch. She closed her eyes and drifted off.  
Lupin wore a smirk. “Well, Jigen, looks like we have some work to do.”  
“How so?” Jigen asked.  
“I know you probably don’t feel comfortable with this, but we need to go through Izzy’s room.” Lupin stated.  
Sure enough, Jigen’s eyes widened. “No way man! That’s an invasion of Izzy’s privacy!”  
“It’s either invade her privacy or let God knows what happen to poor Sayuri.”  
“I...guess you’re right.” Jigen looked back at Izanami who was now napping.  
“Well now that that’s settled, let’s go see what we can find.” Lupin said, walking down the hallway towards Izanami’s room.

Lupin, Goemon, and Jigen made it to Izanami’s room, standing in front of the door for a moment. Lupin and Goemon had never been inside her room. They felt weird going inside the room, but they knew what needed to be done.  
Jigen furrowed his eyebrows and sighed. “I still don’t feel right about this, I mean that’s Izzy's room.”  
“Neither do we, Jigen, but what must be done must be done.” Goemon interjected.  
Lupin took the knob in his hand and turned it, opening the door slowly. Warm air rushed from behind the door, the smell of vanilla perfume and smoke hit their noses as they walked in. One by one, the boys broke off and searched the room. Lupin checked around Izanami’s bed while Goemon and Jigen searched her drawers and closet.  
“Huh...” Lupin started. “That’s odd.”  
“What?” Jigen turned and found Lupin wearing a wolfish grin.  
“Oh, nothing.” He showed a cigarette carton in his hand. “I never knew Izanami smoked Pall Malls. Always thought she preferred Seven Stars.”  
“Those can be hard to find. Thought you’d know that better than anyone.” Jigen narrowed his gaze.  
“Yeah, I know that but…” Lupin smirked again. “Izzy normally keeps a joint in her cigarettes.”  
“Yeah, maybe I decided to roll one.” He turned to Lupin. “Just what the hell are you trying to infer?”  
Lupin smirked. “I think you already know. I’m not judging though. She’s a doll.”  
Jigen let out a huff. “So what if we were sleepin’ together? She can’t remember me now and maybe it's better that way.”  
“Lupin, Jigen.” Goemon’s voice cut through the tension in the room.  
“What’s the matter Goemon?” Lupin asked and Goemon showed them a small diary that had been hidden in the bottom drawer. “So you found her diary…?”  
“Maybe this could jog her memory.” Jigen suggested.  
“Well, anything’s worth a try.” Lupin said, taking the journal. “Let’s see what exactly she wro-- Oh you’re kidding me…damn thing’s locked.” The lock on the diary was a combination lock.   
Jigen smirked. “Izzy must have been anticipating nosy diary snoopers.”  
“Yeah, good on her, but not so much for us!” Lupin said with a glare. “Looks like we’ve got to pry this thing open one way or another.”  
“I think we’ve got everything we need out of here.” Goemon observed and the others nodded before they left the room.


	3. Diary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fujiko makes a reappearance! The group tries to crack open the lock on the diary but to no avail. Jigen and Fujiko bicker a little and everyone gets kinda sad toward the end of the chapter, but!! The chapter ending is still pretty sweet.

As the boys made their way back to the living room, they could hear voices from in the living room. On instinct, Jigen reached for his gun and Goemon drew his sword. Upon further investigation though, they retracted their weapons and instead scowled deeply.  
“So you really lost all of your memories?” A woman’s voice echoed down the hall.  
“Well...yeah, I mean I know my name is Izanami Matsushita and, well, that’s about it.” Izzy’s quiet voice said.  
“You don’t even remember me!?”   
“Fujiko?” Lupin asked. “What are you doing here?”  
Fujiko turned to look at Lupin. “Well, I did come over to tell you that the gem was a fake, nothing more than a black rock with marble haphazardly splattered on it.”  
Lupin furrowed his brows. “You’re kidding…”   
“Yeah and then I come in and see poor Izanami.” Fujiko glared at the men. “Just what the hell did you guys do to her!?”  
“The hell?! We did nothing to her!” Jigen immediately got defensive. “Since you decided to skip out on us, Izanami stayed up all night takin’ care of us!”  
“And when pulled too hard on a bullet, you just whacked her in the head with your Magnum!?”  
“What! I--”   
“That’s enough, you two.” Lupin said, diffusing the argument as Izanami would have. “What happened, Fujiko, was Izanami ran out of ibuprofen. She and Sayuri went out to get more but they didn’t come back for a long time.”  
“Next thing we know, she shows up at the door, all bruised up and without her kid.” Jigen finished.  
“Oh my God.” Fujiko murmured. “So whoever beat Izzy got Sayuri too!?”   
Sayuri. The name rang a bell inside Izanami’s scrambled head. I remember her…The woman furrowed her eyebrows. As if a block had been slowly lifted inside of Izanami’s brain, a memory of her and Sayuri flashed forward in her mind. There she saw a little brown-haired girl with beautiful blue eyes. Sayuri...is my...she’s my...  
“Izzy?” Fujiko gasped, seeing tears rolling down Izanami’s face.   
“Sayuri’s my...she’s my...my…” Izanami felt Fujiko’s hand grip onto hers. Another hand grabbed onto hers. She looked over, seeing Jigen looking down at her with soft sympathetic eyes. He had always had a soft spot for crying women.  
“Izanami.” Lupin said, walking over in front of the woman. “I swear, on my honor as a thief, I will get Sayuri back.”  
“As will I.” Goemon said, placing a reluctant hand on Izzy’s shoulder.  
“Me too, no fooling around this time.” Fujiko replied, tracing small circles into the back of Izanami’s hand.  
“And me.” Jigen responded, smiling down at Izanami slightly.   
The woman looked around the room at everyone. These guys were actually her friends? She felt her chest start to get warm and a smile began to spread across her face. These people actually cared about her and they were really going to help her.   
“Thank you everyone…” Izanami murmured.  
Fujiko winked. “Hey, think of it as payback for all the times you’ve saved our asses!”  
“Yeah, without you we’d be in some pretty deep shit.” Lupin said and the other two nodded in agreement.  
“Well, I’m glad I was of help back then.” Izanami said. “And I hope when this all gets better, I can continue to be helpful!” 

Fujiko ushered Izanami into the shower, leaving the rest of the gang to get to work on cracking the diary. Even the smallest mundane thing she wrote about could jog the nurse’s memory. Though he didn’t show it, Jigen was worried. The group relied heavily on Izanami and her knowledge of medicine. Without her, it felt like a chuck of the team was missing.   
"Alright lady and gentlemen," Lupin started. "Our lovely nurse has locked her diary with a padlock. Now this would be easy if there was a key but...there's not."  
"OK so how are we gonna open it?" Jigen asked.  
"Maybe Zanketsen--"  
"No, Goemon."  
The samurai let out a 'hmph' and Lupin pulled out a stethoscope. "Well...let's see what I can do."   
The thief began working at opening the diary, listening for small clicks and clacks, hoping to open the diary.  
“Nothing yet?” Jigen replied.  
“Shush! I’m working on it!” Lupin responded.   
Down the hall, Fujiko stood outside of the bathroom door, her lips pursed as she thought. Damn, we’re really screwed aren’t we? I mean-- They’re screwed! Izanami is their medic and I can take care of myself! Fujiko pulled a cigarette out of her pack. Maybe if I would have stayed a little longer, this could have been prevented...maybe if--  
“Hey, Fujiko?” Izanami said from inside the bathroom.   
“Izanami?” Fujiko perked up immediately. “Are you doing ok in there?”  
“Yeah, I’m...it’s just, you don’t have to stand outside, I’ll be fine in here.”  
“I don’t doubt that.” Fujiko lit her cigarette. “You’ve always been really independent.” She blew out smoke. “I’m staying here, just to be safe. We can’t have you falling in the shower and busting your head.”  
“Well, yeah…” Izanami murmured, allowing the warm water to cascade down her body. Who am I? She thought as she ran her fingers through her hair. No, more like who was I? All of these people seem to know me, but I don’t know them. I hate that I can’t remember who I was. I hate that I can’t remember anyone or anything. I just want my head to be clear.   
Izanami turned off the water and finished with her shower. She grabbed a towel from the towel rack and wrapped it around her body. Izanami felt a cold shiver run down her spine. It was much colder than she remembered. She pulled on the clothing that Fujiko had set out for her and walked out of the bathroom.  
“Hey, you certainly look a lot better.” Fujiko said, glancing at Izanami.  
“I do feel a lot better.” She admitted.  
“Well, I’m glad to hear.” Fujiko pulled out a cigarette. “Want one?”  
Izanami nodded.

Fujiko and Izanami walked into the living room, finding the rest of the gang scattered about the room. Lupin was still sitting at the table, hard at work trying to crack Izanami’s diary open. Goemon was sitting cross-legged in the armchair, meditating again. As for Jigen, he was standing up at the stove, cooking something.   
“What a lively bunch we have here.” Fujiko commented, getting a look from Jigen. “So have you three had any luck?”  
“Well, Fujicakes.” Lupin started with a sigh. “I’m ashamed to say it but I’ve had no luck.”   
“Really? You’re kidding me. It can’t be that hard to pick a lock!” Fujiko walked up behind Lupin.  
“Well, if you’re so smart, Fujiko, then why don’t you pick it!” Jigen said from the stove.   
“Oh buzz off, Jigen, no one was talking to you!” Fujiko stuck her tongue out at him.  
Izanami had scooted over to the stove. “So what are you cooking?”   
“Just some soup.” Jigen said, showing her the can.  
“Do you want some help?” Izanami asked.  
“Not really, I mean I’m just heating the soup.” Jigen murmured, looking away. He could barely believe this was the same woman he’d been so close with. Watching Izanami in the state she was in made a Jigen feel a small pang in his heart. Guilt. Jigen knew the feeling all too well. If only he wouldn’t have gotten so banged up, if only he’d been stronger and was able to protect everyone better, if only…The click of the burning turning off brought him back to reality.   
“I turned the soup off, didn’t want it to boil over.” The blonde beside him smiled over at him. “I hope you don’t mind…”  
“No...not at all…” Jigen said quietly.  
Lupin peeked over Izanami's shoulder. “Hey! Looks like dinner’s ready! I say we all take a break and eat!”

The five housemates sat at the dining table in a scene similar to yesterday morning. Normally, everyone was lively with chatter, but even Lupin, the glue that held the group together, couldn’t make light of the situation. Izzy sat, staring into her soup. Her hazel eyes darkened and her lips set in a soft frown. She pushed her soup away and silently stared down at her lap.  
“Izzy.” Lupin spoke quietly.   
“I’m...sorry.”   
“Izanami…” Fujiko looked up.  
“...I...think I need to be alone for a while.”  
“Well, ok…” Lupin said, pointing to the hall. “Your room’s down the hall, last on the left.”  
Izanami stood up and walked down the hall, going into the room and shutting the door behind her. Everyone else sat in relative silence. They all knew why she was so upset. Sayuri was gone. That little girl was Izanami’s everything. The girl had been gone for a day, but the gang had slowly started to notice her absence. Lupin missed the way she’d ask him about his travels. Fujiko missed Sayuri’s questions about fashion. Even Goemon missed the way the girl would come sit by him while he meditated. Jigen--  
“I’m done.” Jigen’s gruff voice cut through the silence. He stood and disappeared down the hall.   
“He’s taking this really hard.” Lupin said once Jigen was out of earshot.  
“He-- Why?” Fujiko asked.  
Lupin smiled sadly. “Guess you could say Sayuri is like the daughter Jigen never had.”

“Izzy.” A soft knock came at the door before it opened a crack. “Can I come in?”  
On the bed, curled up in a ball laid Izanami. Her eyes had grown puffy and red as tears rolled down her red cheeks. Tear after tear fell from her eyes as she looked over at Jigen.   
“What are you doing here?” She asked with a choked voice.   
Jigen walked in and shut the door behind him. “I figured you might want some company.”  
“Oh…” She murmured, feeling the bed shift beside her.   
“I’m really sorry, Izzy.”   
“What for?” She turned to face Jigen who had his back to her.   
“It’s my fault for getting all banged up.” He started. “If I would have just done what you said and taken it easy then…” He bit his bottom lip.  
“Jigen…” She stood up on her knees, sniffling. “I’m sure you did all you could.”  
“That’s the thing, Izanami!” Jigen raised his voice slightly. “I didn’t...I botched the job.”  
Izanami crawled over to him. Upon further investigation, Jigen was shaking ever so slightly. She cautiously wrapped her arms around the man’s shoulder, pulling him into her. She could barely remember him, but something in her told her that he was important to her.   
Jigen stiffened a bit, feeling her arms wrap around him. He could feel a warmth spreading throughout his body. Even with amnesia, Izanami was still the same sweet, kind nurse that he’d come to know.  
“Jigen. I don’t blame any of you for what happened.” Izanami said with finality.   
“Why…” Jigen murmured.  
“My memories might be shit right now, but I know none of you had anything to do with Sayuri being taken.” The woman said. “After all, you’re all going through so much trouble to help me.”  
Jigen placed a hand on her hand. “We’re going to get Sayuri back Izanami. I don’t care how long it takes, believe me. I will get that kid back.”  
A soft smile graced Izanami’s features. “Thank, Jigen…” She laid back on her bed. “You can lay with me if you’d like.”  
Jigen shrugged and laid beside her. This felt so different from the other times he’d been beside her. Those nights were charged with lust and passion, but tonight was different. Tonight, he felt something overwhelmingly different. When he glanced over at the woman lying beside him, he didn’t just see her body, he saw the beautiful soul that resided within her. Slowly, his eyes began to feel heavy.   
“Hey Jigen, if you don’t mind me asking what-- Oh.” Izanami looked over, seeing Jigen asleep. She smiled fondly. “I guess I’ll ask later.” She leaned down, pecked his cheek, and also fell into a deep sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> In memory of Yasuo Ōtsuka.  
> 07/11/1931 - 03/15/2021  
> Thank you for introducing me and many others to the wonderful world that is Lupin The Third.


End file.
